7 - Double Portraits of Petrarch and Laura in Print (c. 1544–1600)

Summary

Abstract

The present chapter focuses on double portraits of Petrarch and Laura in print. Most of these prints featured in sixteenth-century editions of Petrarch's Rerum vulgarium fragmenta and Triumphi, while a few were issued as independent objects. They are accompanied by poems, either autonomous or intertwined with the poet's and Laura's likenesses. Whilst the role of these prints in disseminating the effigies of the poet and his beloved has been investigated, their link to Petrarchan tenets has so far been overlooked. This chapter analyses the relationship between the prints and Petrarch's poems and views on portraiture, and especially how the latter were reconciled with publishing choices, shedding new light on how Petrarch and Laura were framed in sixteenth-century prints.

Keywords: Petrarch, Laura, Dante, double portrait, print, paratexts

This chapter focuses on sixteenth-century printed representations of Petrarch (1303–1374) and Laura in Italy. It aims to expound the hitherto-overlooked relationship between these prints and Petrarch's poems and ideas on portraiture, as well as the extent to which publishers, printers, and engravers ‘packaged’ (or framed) Petrarch and Laura's reception by combining Petrarchan tenets with their own publishing strategies. The inclusion of several engravings that have not been previously discussed in the literature on Petrarch's reception in the Cinquecento, moreover, leads to new insights on the iconography of the couple. In particular, the allegorical content of the engraved portrait by Giacomo Franco (1550–1620) is interpreted here for the first time.

Double Portraits in Books

Throughout the sixteenth century, it became common practice to feature woodcut portraits, along with other paratexts, in vernacular editions of Petrarch's works. The earliest of these editions contain likenesses of Petrarch alone, usually depicted either as poet laureate or dressed all’antica; yet, as the century progressed, portraits of the poet with Laura became more common. These double portraits were often followed by verses taken directly from, or inspired by, Petrarch's Rerum vulgarium fragmenta or Triumphi. A few single-sheet prints published by Antonio Salamanca (1500–1562) and Luca Bertelli (fl. 1564–1589) depicting Petrarch and Laura were also produced, and these, too, feature Petrarch's own poems or verses written in his style.

Among the Venetian publishers, Gabriele Giolito (c. 1508–1578) contributed significantly to the launch of double-portrait prints of the poet and Laura, as well as to the broader editorial dissemination of Petrarch's poetry. Between 1544 and 1560, Giolito produced twenty-four editions of Petrarch's Rvf and Triumphi.